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United States Patent |
6,185,751
|
Mason
|
February 13, 2001
|
Releasably engagable socks
Abstract
There exists many different devices for connecting articles of clothing
together. The present invention is such a device for attaching articles of
clothing together. The present invention utilizes paired fasteners on each
of the two articles of clothing to be attached together. This allows the
two articles to either be attached together or turned inside out and
folded upon themselves and attached to themselves. In this folded-down
state, the fasteners are hidden from view.
Inventors:
|
Mason; Susan D. (2510 W. 54th South, Mountain Home, ID 83647)
|
Appl. No.:
|
412041 |
Filed:
|
October 4, 1999 |
Current U.S. Class: |
2/239; 24/DIG.29 |
Intern'l Class: |
A43B 017/00 |
Field of Search: |
2/239,160,409,61
D2/980
24/DIG. 29,444,442,446
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
1719082 | Jul., 1929 | Regar | 2/239.
|
2663877 | Dec., 1953 | Bohman | 2/239.
|
2710409 | Jun., 1955 | Burandt | 2/160.
|
3196640 | Jul., 1965 | Hanisch | 66/172.
|
3414944 | Dec., 1968 | Rabinowitz | 24/81.
|
3699617 | Oct., 1972 | Hofmeister.
| |
4058853 | Nov., 1977 | Boxer et al.
| |
4414716 | Nov., 1983 | Stastney.
| |
4975986 | Dec., 1990 | Strongwater | 2/160.
|
5038413 | Aug., 1991 | Ursino.
| |
5321855 | Jun., 1994 | Ciuffo | 2/239.
|
5367809 | Nov., 1994 | Ross | 40/668.
|
5450658 | Sep., 1995 | Hicks | 24/303.
|
5579541 | Dec., 1996 | Christy et al.
| |
5740558 | Apr., 1998 | Messman.
| |
5918318 | Jul., 1999 | Jones | 2/239.
|
5970524 | Oct., 1999 | Becker et al. | 2/239.
|
5974590 | Nov., 1999 | Stubbs | 2/239.
|
Other References
Gershman, Maurice, Journal of the American Medical Asso., vol. 168, No. 7,
p. 930, Oct. 1958.
|
Primary Examiner: Calvert; John J.
Assistant Examiner: Hoey; Alissa L.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Dykas; Frank J., Shaver; Robert L.
Claims
I claim:
1. A fastening means for a pair of socks comprising a first sock and a
second sock, each sock having a snap-type fastening means for securing
said pair of socks together to prevent the separation thereof during
storage, washing, and drying, wherein said fastening means further
comprises:
two first fasteners each having a part providing a projection;
means for attaching one of said first fasteners to each of said pair of
socks;
two second fasteners each having a part providing a hole;
means for attaching one of said second fasteners to each of said pair of
socks;
said first and second fasteners being constructed and arranged to be
releasably engageable with one another with said projections fitting into
said holes with snap-like fits;
wherein on each of said pair of socks, said first fastener and said second
fastener are adjacent to one another;
wherein said first sock and said second sock each have a first side
opposite a second side, an inside surface and an outside surface, wherein
the first side of the first sock faces the second side of the second sock
when said socks are mated, wherein said fasteners located on said first
sock are located on the first side of the first sock, and said fasteners
located on said second sock are located on the second side of said second
sock;
wherein said projection and hole providing parts of said first and second
fasteners are arranged to face outwardly from the outside surface of the
leg of each sock;
wherein each of said socks further comprise patches located on the inner
side of each sock opposing said fastener located on the outer side of the
leg of each sock for elimination of contact between the fasteners and the
wearer of said socks;
wherein said first sock is fixedly folded so that the first fastener of
said first sock may releasably engage with the second fastener of said
first sock; and
wherein said second sock is fixedly folded so that the first fastener of
said second sock may releasably engage with the second fastener of said
second sock.
2. A fastening means for a pair of socks comprising a first sock and a
second sock, each sock having a snap-type fastening means for securing
said pair of socks together to prevent the separation thereof during
storage, washing, drying and, wherein said fastening means further
comprises:
two first fasteners each having a part providing a projection,
means for attaching one of said first fasteners to each of said pair of
socks,
two second fasteners each having a part providing a hole,
means for attaching one of said second fasteners to each of said pair of
socks; and,
said first and second fasteners being constructed and arranged to be
releasably engageable with one another with said projection fitting into
said hole with a snap-like fit.
3. The fastening means for a pair of socks as in claim 2, wherein on each
of said pair of socks, said first fastener and said second fastener are
adjacent to one another.
4. The fastening means for a pair of socks as in claim 2, wherein each sock
has a first side opposite a second side, an inside surface and an outside
surface, wherein the first side of the first sock faces the second side of
the second sock when said socks are mated, wherein said fasteners located
on said first sock are located on the first side of the first sock, and
said fasteners located on said second sock are located on the second side
of said second sock.
5. The fastening means for a pair of socks as in claim 2, wherein said
projection and hole providing parts of said first and second fasteners are
arranged to face outwardly from the outside surface of the leg of each
sock.
6. The fastening means for a pair of socks as in claim 2, wherein the leg
portions of each of said socks are able to be turned inside out so that
the first fastener of said first sock may releasably engage with the
second fastener of said first sock and so that the first fastener of said
second sock may releasably engage with the second fastener of said second
sock.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to apparel and clothing, and more
particularly to articles of apparel fastened together to prevent
separation thereof during washing, storage, drying and the like.
2. Background Information
There are many times when articles of clothing need to be attached
together. For instance, one might want to attach together a pair of socks
after wearing them, then when the wearer tosses the socks into the
laundry, the socks are washed and dried together and the socks come out of
the dryer already mated. This would be a great savings of time and effort
to a person doing laundry.
Other examples of instances when a person might wish articles of clothing
to be paired together would include children's clothing. For instance,
children frequently loose their gloves and mittens, an annoying problem
for many parents. These parents would benefit from using a means for
fastening the gloves or mittens to the article of outerwear the child
would be wearing so that the gloves or mittens would not become misplaced
or lost.
There are many devices for connecting articles of clothing together. The
first is U.S. Pat. No. 3,699,617 to Hofmeister, showing a connecting
device for articles of clothing. A disadvantage of the Hofmeister device
is the bulky connector on the socks as worn. A simple, easy to use, small
and discrete device of attachment is needed.
Another device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,853, to Boxer et al. The
Boxer device shows socks with flexible, self-contained fastener patches.
However, the Boxer device would not be aesthetically pleasing in that the
fasteners would be observable by others when being worn.
Another device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,413 to Ursino. The Ursino
device is a sock fastening means, comprising a male snap on one sock and a
female snap located on another sock. The Ursino device further has covers
which snap on to protect the snaps when worn. A disadvantage of such
device is that it is observable when worn.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,541 to Christy et al. shows sock tabs. Christy sock
tabs comprise Velcro.RTM.-style attachments for attaching pairs of socks
together when not worn. However, the Christy device would also be easily
visible to others when being worn.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,558 to Messman shows a means for attaching
articles of clothing together. Messman's device comprises tabs which are
sewn into the clothing articles, the tabs having snaps which allow the
clothing items to be snapped together. However, the Messman device does
not show the attachment means located on the outer side of the leg of each
sock.
What is needed is an attachment means for attaching articles of clothing
together which has plural fastening means on each article allowing the
articles to be either attached together or allowing the individual
articles to be folded and fastened upon itself, thereby covering the
fasteners. The preferred embodiment of the present invention solves these
needs.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be
set forth in part in the description as follows, and in part will become
apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or
may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of
the invention may be realized and attained by means of the
instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the
appended claims.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a device for attaching at least two articles of
clothing together. The device has a plurality of fasteners located on each
one of the articles so that the articles can either be attached to one
another or an individual article can be folded and attached to itself,
thereby covering the fastener upon the article.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fasteners
comprise snap together fasteners having a male part and a female part,
whereby the male part is fastened into the female part, thus giving a
snap-like connection. This type of fastener is common to apparel. In its
preferred embodiment, one male and one female fastener is located on each
article of clothing. This allows the article of clothing to be folded so
that its own male part may be fastened to its own female part. In doing
so, the folded-down portion of the article of clothing would cover the
fastener.
Possible fastening means include Velcro.RTM., hooks and loops, and others.
The present invention may also be placed on any number of articles of
clothing, and the first article and second article of clothing joined
together need not be of the same type of article, for instance, a stocking
cap fastened to a pair of gloves.
Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become
readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed
description wherein I have shown and described only the preferred
embodiment of the invention, simply by way of illustration of the best
mode contemplated by carrying out my invention. As will be realized, the
invention is capable of modification in various obvious respects all
without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and
description of the preferred embodiment are to be regarded as illustrative
in nature, and not as restrictive.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2A is a side view of a first article of clothing employing an
embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2B is a side view of a second article of clothing employing an
embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 3 is a partial, perspective view of the articles of FIGS. 2A and 2B
fastened together.
FIG. 4 is a cross-section along line 4--4 of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a first article shown in
FIG. 2A, in its folded-down state.
FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 5 at line 6A--6A.
FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a second article in
its folded-down state.
FIG. 7 is a side view of another embodiment of one article of the present
invention.
FIG. 8 is a side view of another embodiment of one article of the present
invention.
FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of one article of
the present invention.
FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of one article of
the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative
constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof have been shown in
the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be
understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to
the specific form disclosed, but, on the contrary, the invention is to
cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents
falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the
claims.
The present invention is a device for attaching articles of clothing
together. While there are many different types of articles that could be
attached together using the present invention, for instance, gloves or
mittens together on or to the sleeves of jackets or other garments, the
preferred articles are hosiery, namely socks.
In such an arrangement, the device 10 attaches a first article 11 to a
second article 11'. As shown in FIG. 1, the preferred embodiment 10 of the
present invention comprises a pair of socks further comprising a first
sock 11 and second sock 11'. "Socks" are referred to in this application
as the preferred articles, however, any articles of clothing or apparel
may be used, and the term "socks" is intended to refer to any article of
clothing. Each of these socks (11, 11'), have fastening means 2 for
securing the pair of socks together to prevent the separation of the socks
during sorting, storage, washing, drying or the like, as shown in FIG. 2A
and FIG. 2B. An individual sock has a first side 14 opposite a second side
16. The socks also have an outside surface 18 and have a leg portion 20
which contacts a wearer's leg and a foot portion 22, which contacts a
wearer's foot.
The type of fasteners can be any fasteners known to man, however, the
fastening means 2 are preferably either hook and loop "Velcro.RTM."-type
fasteners or, as shown in the Figures, snap-type fasteners.
In the case of the snap-type fasteners 2, a set of such fasteners comprise
a first fastener (4, 4') having a part providing a projection 6 which is
received into a second fastener (8, 8') having a part providing a hole 12.
These first and second fasteners are constructed and arranged so that they
are releasably engagable with one another with the projection fitting
within the hole with a snap-like fit, and thus are referred to as
snap-type fasteners.
These fasteners are attached to the articles of clothing through use of an
attachment means 3. These attachment means 3 can be anything commonly used
by those skilled in the trade of apparel manufacture, including but not
limited to, the use of an adhesive to adhere the fastener to the outer
side 18 of the leg 20 of each sock, and/or through the use of rivet-style
snap-type fastening means which are riveted through the fabric of the
article of clothing and fixedly crimped in place, as shown in FIG. 4 and
FIGS. 6A/6B. The exact manner of attachment is not important so long as
the fastener is securely held in place.
Both the projection and hole providing parts of the first and second
fasteners are preferably arranged on the outer surface 18 of the leg
portion 20 of each sock so as to face outwardly from the outer side 18.
This allows the socks to be attached to one another, as shown in FIG. 3
As shown in the Figures, it is preferred that two fasteners 2 will be
affixed to each sock. On the first sock 11, the fasteners would be placed
on the first side 14 of the sock 11, and on the second sock 11' the
fasteners would be placed on the second side 16 of the sock 11'. It is
preferred that a plurality of fasteners would be used on each sock. In the
preferred embodiment, one of the first fasteners 4, 4' providing a
projection 6 would be located on each sock (11, 11') and each one of the
second fasteners 8, 8' providing a hole 12 would be located on each sock
(11, 11') as well, as shown in FIG. 1. It is preferred that the plurality
of fasteners be oriented in a vertical manner as the socks would be worn
and that the fasteners alternate between a first fastener and second
fastener, again as shown in FIG. 1.
In the preferred embodiment, on the first sock a first fastener would be
located most vertical and directly below the first fastener would be
located one of the second fasteners, as shown in the figures. The same
would be repeated on the second sock, except the second fastener would be
located above the first fastener. Such an arrangement would allow the
first faster of the first sock to either engage the second fastener of the
second sock or the second fastener of the first sock.
When engaging the second fastener of the first sock, the first fastener of
first sock can only do so through the folding, rolling down, or bending of
the article back upon itself so that the two fasteners can engage, as
shown in FIG. 5. This has the added benefit of folding over and covering
up the exposed surfaces of the fasteners. The sock could subsequently be
rolled down another time, thereby folding it over and making the existence
of such a fastener even less obvious to an observer.
Being in oriented in such a alternating manner also allows multiple
releasable engagements between the fasteners on the first sock and the
fasteners on the second sock, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. This multiplicity
of fasteners adds to the strength of the attachments between the two
paired socks, assisting greatly in holding the socks together,
particularly in the washing machine and dryer.
As shown in FIG. 6B, it is also envisioned that the preferred embodiment
may further comprise a patch 24 or other device for covering up the inside
portion of the attachment means 3 to further make the present invention
comfortable and keep the fasteners from chafing the wearer through the
sock material, especially where the fastener itself extends through the
sock material. It is envisioned that the patch may also comprise a label
containing the sock size or the shoe size and may contain other material
such as care instructions.
Other embodiments of such a patch 24 are shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B. These
Figures show that the stitching "S" for attaching the label to the sock
may further extend through the first over portion of the sock and affix
the first portion to the second portion. This would be created by folding
the sock at a line generally exactly between the male fastener and the
female fastener and then affixing this fold together so as to create a
crease or permanent fold in the sock that would make the sock inclined to
remain fixedly folded. Such fold could be created other ways, including
adhering the folded over portions of the sock together. Alternatively,
such fixation may exist absent a patch 24. In all such embodiments, the
user will be able to pull back the top folded over portion and attach it
to a likewise unfolded sock. FIG. 9A shows the default status fold, and
FIG. 9B shows the folded sock snapped together.
Thus, in use, assuming that the user starts with a pair of socks as
disclosed above already engagably attached to one another, first the user
would unsnap the two socks from one another and place one sock on each
foot. Then, the top of the sock would be turned inside out so that the
first fastening means of the first sock would be releasably engaged with
the second fastening means of the same sock, such engagement requiring
reversing and folding down of the sock to generally the line marked as `A`
in the Figures, thereby covering the attachment of the fastener to one
another. The same would be repeated on the second sock, noting the
difference that in the second sock, preferably, the second fastener means
would be located above the first fastener means and, as such, the sock
would be folded so that the second fastener means may engage the first
fastener means. Then, when the user is through wearing the socks, the user
could take them off, taking care to snap them together, first fastener
means of the first sock attached to the second fastener means of the
second sock and the first attachment means of the second sock attached to
the second attaching means of the first sock, thereby fixedly holding the
pair of socks together to be laundered. After being laundered, the paired
socks will be still attached to one another and the user will merely need
to store the attached socks together, without having to dig through a pile
of different socks looking for mates to the individual socks.
While there is shown and described the present preferred embodiment of the
invention, it is to be distinctly understood that this invention is not
limited thereto but may be variously embodied to practice within the scope
of the following claims.
From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that various changes
may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention
as defined by the following claims.
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